Winning candidates look toward Kinston’s future

Wednesday

With the results from Tuesday in the books after a long campaign season, the focus has now been shifted to improving the community over the next four years.

B.J. Murphy has been elected to serve his second term as the mayor of Kinston, with Robbie Swinson winning his third term on city council and Wynn Whittington making the board in his first attempt.

Murphy said he plans on talking to other members of the board soon in devising plans to improve the city.

“I’ll get together with the city council individually and collectively, so we can put our heads together to move Kinston forward,” Murphy said. “We’ll continue to build on the successes of Kinston, while acknowledging the challenges we still face. We’ve got to roll up our sleeves to tackle these challenges head on.”

The mayor also said violence in the city is a primary focus of his, even before the shootings on Tuesday, which left one person dead and two injured.

“The senseless violence this week is certainly a challenge,” Murphy said. “We need to continue developing relationships with the community and our public safety department, because citizens and intelligence give us the first line of defense.”

Murphy is also looking at improving the city’s infrastructure, which was a staple in his first term.

“Fixing potholes, resurfacing streets and the interstate loops in Eastern North Carolina are all high priorities,” Murphy said. “Good streets and infrastructure leads to good jobs, a higher quality of life and more young people coming back by Kinston.”

Swinson is looking to improve other parts of the community.

“I plan on trying to revitalize East Kinston, like we’ve been doing for Mitchelltown,” Swinson said. “I’m also looking at ways to bring more jobs for the community, creating a coalition with industries and improving the quality of life of Kinston the best we possibly can as a council.”

Swinson is also focused on trying to stop crime in the city.

“We need to work on reducing the amount of crime and shootings,” Swinson said. “We have to do something to curb the crime rate in order to build the city and make it better. If not, we will be a target for people not wanting to relocate or build businesses here.”

Whittington, a former Kinston High School principal, said he will put in time with other members of the board in order to help the community the best he can.

“I’ll be working with existing council members to continue the progress they’ve been making,” Whittington said. “I’ll also continue to meet with the city manager and department heads to take a strong look at how we spend money in the city. We need to continue supporting the efforts of those who are trying to make improvements to city.”

Whittington has several focuses himself.

“One focus is trying to increase tax base,” Whittington said “We also need to look a look at our infrastructure, roads and paving the streets.

“One of my goals is to be responsive to the needs of the citizens. If they have any concerns, I want to be available to solve the problems.”

Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.

Here is the breakdown of each precinct in Kinston for the mayor and city council races: